


My Little Sun

by chrlibb



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: EXO - Freeform, EXO-L - Freeform, F/M, Seventeen - Freeform, bigbang, bts - Freeform, kpop, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:01:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrlibb/pseuds/chrlibb
Summary: Isabela Arrellano is an English tutor who lives in Chigago. Kim Jongdae is an universally renowned member of K-Pop idol band EXO. Their paths were not supposed to cross, but once they do, it's only downhill from there.





	1. Chapter 1

EXO were tired. They had spent most of the day in and out of rehearsals, signings, shoots, and then had to comply with management's genius idea of doing a meet and greet here in America. Ignoring the fact that the 9 boys only knew basic English, they were exhausted after a day of having to keep up appearances. While EXO still had their bubbly personalities, those were opaqued by their chronic exhaustion, and despite being so tired, they still had to act like everything was fine and they were not only well-rested, but also cheerful and excited. Jongdae and Minseok had been sharing a room during this tour, and despite the hyung's contagiously preppy attitude, Jongdae could notice the bags growing under his eyes when he took off his eye makeup in the hotel room.

The care and prep team had tried various creams, lotions, serums, and different methods to better the appearance of the dark circles, but to no avail. Jongdae thought that it had an easy fix: just a couple of good nights' rest would end with them all feeling refreshed and ready for anything. But he knew better; this was the life of an idol. Go to bed late and wake up early. Eat few meals and lots of snacks. Work yourself to the bone. And while he did love their fans deeply, he decided no sleep was an aspect of idol life he could live without.

After a too-quick rest, the 9 were directed towards a room. It wasn't anything special; it had a NIKON camera prepped up on a tripod on one side, then a large screen on the other, dotted with the EXO logo everywhere and the tour's name. The care and prep team quickly went in and powdered their noses, refreshed their eye makeup, gave them eye drops for their contacts (except for Chanyeol and Jongin, who weren't wearing any), and fluffed their hair before making their exit.

They had already been given instructions as to what to do, which was basically say hi, talk for a minute, then take a photo with the fan. The talking part was what had Jongdae nervous, and he silently practiced the few lines he'd prepared. Despite all his studying, his English truly wasn't the best and he was afraid to make a mistake in front of anyone.

"Ah~" Chanyeol exclaimed, "we haven't even had anything for dinner, and it's already too late to eat."

"Our faces are going to be swollen tomorrow if we eat now," Jongin agreed grimly.

"We can't even eat right now!" Baekhyun pouted. "Fans are due to be arriving any second."

The 9 grunted in approval. Yixing heaved a deep sigh. Jongdae arranged his leather jacket over his shoulders. Junmyeon paced on the floor. They were all wearing their typical uniforms: ripped black pants, sneakers/dress shoes, t-shirts/tanks and, flannels combined with leather jackets. Minseok's hair was sticking up all over the place, which vaguely reminded Jongdae of an anime character. He looked less energetic than usual. Then again, they were all beaten.

"Let's work hard, everyone!" Sehun smiled, and it instantly lifted the mood of the other 8. It was so like him to try to cheer everyone up. And he was right; they had to work hard for the fans, who were spending their hard earned money on them and meeting them. They couldn't be caught sulking now. They needed to put their best face forward.

A door opened and the first three fans piled in. They were visibly nervous, far more nervous than Jongdae, which filled him with both endearment and strength. This is why they were here. Fans were everything to him. His mouth spread into that wonderful smile of his, his cheeks filling, eyes sparkling.

" _Hello_ ," he said in English, which came easier now that he wasn't as anxious. " _I'm Chen_."

" _I'm Xiumin_ ," he said with his usual smile. One of the girls just about melted.

" _I'm Suho_." He bowed his head towards them.

One by one, they kept introducing themselves in English, which ended in a deep bow and everyone in a chorus saying "Thank you for supporting EXO."

" _Oh, my God, of course! We're, like, huge fans_ ," One of the girls said. The other nodded happily, and the other was still blushing over Minseok. Jongdae thought that was cute and smiled at her.

It went on like that for the next fans. Junmyeon kissed one girl on the cheek, and her squeal could be heard all the way back in Seoul. A lot of them gave them gifts: fanart, bracelets, hats for Chanyeol... All the fans were so sweet and flustered, it made Jongdae shy.

After what felt like hours of awkward exchanges in English and some in Korean (a few of the fans had learnt a few Korean words to say to the idols, which made them both very excited and very impressed), it was finally time for the last meet and greet fan to come through. The feeling Jongdae felt most strongly now was hunger. He longed for curry noodles from a shop back in Seoul, but he knew the closest thing in America to East Asian food was a pack of Maruchan Ramen Noodles. Hey, at least they were cheap.

He took a gulp of water from his bottle and waited for the last fan to come through. When she did, he was taken aback. Not because of her looks, although she was gorgeous, but by her perfectly pronounced Korean greeting and bow.

Baekhyun was the first to react. "You know Korean?" He asked her in his native language.

"Yup!" The girl straightened her back and grinned at them, her smile dazzling. "It's so great to meet all of you! I'm truly such an admirer of your performances and musical abilities."

In simple words, Jongdae was completely speechless. She had a slight accent, something that didn't quite sound like the accent an American would have, but she spoke eloquently and with great confidence.

"Woh!~" Chanyeol exclaimed. "You speak so well!"

The girl blushed and twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. "Ah, I still have much to learn. But your music has helped a lot! Your broadcasts have really refined my pronunciation, even though I know that it's still a bit off."

"But your vocabulary is so extensive! And your pronunciation is adorable!~" Minseok gaped at her excitedly.

"I don't even know if I could say all the stuff you just did!" Sehun laughed.

"Aish, guys, let's not burden her!" Jongin said.

"I wish I had her talent." Yixing pouted, and she bowed at him.

"You were my biggest inspiration!" She stood upright and lights danced in her turquoise green eyes. "All of you work so hard to make your fans happy, but Lay especially has worked extra hard in his Korean while still giving the fans who speak Mandarin a chance to be a part of EXO-L. You work without even taking into consideration your own health, just so everyone can have a good time. That was really inspiring to me!"

"Aigoo!~ Look, Lay is blushing!" Baekhyun teased him, which made him blush harder, the dimple on his cheek in full view.

"Oh, but, why did you learn Korean?" Kyungsoo asked her, and she looked up in thought.

"Well, I guess the most honest answer is a student of mine. I'm an English tutor, and while I mainly worked with Latin American kids, there was a foreign exchange student who spoke only Korean and very little English. A lot of the kids at school made fun of her for it, so I took it upon myself to teach her English straight from Korean." She shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Ah, that's incredible!" Minseok exclaimed. "So, you know Spanish too?"

"Er, my first language is Portuguese, since I'm from Brazil. It was very easy learning Spanish, because the languages are so similar. Then, I learned English, then Japanese, and then Korean. I'm trying to learn Mandarin right now, but it's hard!" She pouted.

"Oh!~ So you know," Chanyeol counted with his fingers, "five languages! That's amazing!"

She lowered her head. "No, really, it's nothing. I do what I can to help my students."

"Is that why you learned Japanese?" Minseok asked.

She smiled sheepishly. "Er, no. I actually learned Japanese because, um... Aish, it's embarrassing!" She burst out laughing while covering her mouth.

"Ah, it can't be that bad!" Chanyeol countered.

She finished laughing and sighed. "It's because I really like Japanese animation, so since I didn't want to read the subtitles all the time..." She trailed off, her face scarlet.

"Oi! That's awesome!" Minseok exclaimed, then said a few words to her in Japanese. She giggled and replied, and even though Jongdae's Japanese wasn't the best, he could still tell her pronunciation was flawless.

Just who was this girl?

"What's your name?" Jongdae finally broke his silence, and she blushed at him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! It's so rude of me to forget to introduce myself. My name Isabela Arrellano." Her smile set his heart ablaze. Jongdae wondered if the others felt the same as he did.

"Isabela," Baekhyun tried to pronounce it like she did, but the L was off.

"Very good!" She said, which made Baekhyun blush. She sounded exactly like a teacher. "I know it's a very difficult name if your first language doesn't have the letter L, but you did so well!"

The 9 even forgot to introduce themselves to Isabela like they'd been doing with all the fans before her. It was so easy to talk to her: the way she smiled, the easiness with which conversation flowed, and especially the fact that she knew Korean was enough to loosen the knot in their stomachs they didn't know they had. Too soon, the manager signaled EXO to take the photo with her already, since it was getting late in the night and they had a whole day of rehearsing tomorrow.

Isabela noticed and quickly fished something out of her bag. 12 envelopes, neatly filed and named. She gave each of the members one, except for Yixing, who got 4.

"What's this?" Junmyeon asked her, although the answer was obvious.

"Letters for each one of you, plus Tao, Luhan, and Kris." She smiled at Yixing, who was taken aback by the envelopes in his hands. If Jongdae didn't know better, it would look as if he was going to cry. "I'm so sorry if it's not my place to give these to you," she continued, "but even if there's the smallest chance that they'll receive those letters, I'll take it. I've been a fan of yours since even before you did EXO Showtime, and it hit me hard when the members left, although I understand their reasons. If it was difficult for me, it must have been much more so for all of you. I'm sorry if I overstepped." She bowed deeply.

"Ah~ it's alright," Yixing said, seeming to recover himself. "We don't really talk to them, but I think I can get these to them. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness." Along with him, the rest bowed at her, which made her cheeks turn slightly pink.

"Oh, thank you for accepting them!" She bowed awkwardly, making everyone laugh, including herself. She scratched the back of her head. "I guess I still have to work on my Korean customs, huh?"

"Ah, you're fine! Please, don't burden yourself with such thoughts!" Jongin said to her, and she smiled at him.

"I think our manager is going to kill us if we don't take the photo now," Baekhyun said after his manager gave them a stern look. The boys all laughed, except Isabela, who looked about as red as a tomato.

"Yah~, I'm so sorry for keeping you! I've caused you trouble.~"

"No, you're fine, please don't worry. You're our last fan tonight, so after this we only have to go to the hotel," Kyungsoo explained.

Isabela's face brightened. "Ah! If you're craving East Asian food, there's this great place a few blocks from here..." She fished out a small notebook from her bag and quickly wrote something down on a sheet of paper. With a smile, Jongdae noticed her pen had the head of a cat. She gave Kyungsoo the note with the directions. "I hope you'll be able to enjoy it before you leave for Korea! Hosook, my Korean student, told me that it was almost as if she were back home."

"Wow, thank you so much!" Kyungsoo exclaimed.

"How'd you know I'd been craving curry noodles?" Jongdae teased. She grinned with her tongue between her teeth and shrugged.

"Tutor's intuition.~" She giggled.

"Aish, we should really take the photo now," Junmyeon said, and she nodded.

"Um! Can we all please do the wolf ears from your Wolf MV? I've always liked them!" She asked, and they all agreed. She positioned herself in the middle between Chanyeol and Jongin while they all, including Isabela, made what looked like wolf ears with their hands. Once the flash went off, it set off a series of howls between the boys, making Isabela laugh. They all went to say their goodbyes, and before leaving, she bowed deeply.

"Thank you for making this such a memorable experience for me!" She said. "I'll never forget it." She looked directly at all the men before her, and Jongdae felt a jolt of electricity when her eyes locked with his. "Please, don't work yourselves so hard. We all in EXO-L wish primarily for your health and well-being. We deeply appreciate you, so please take care of yourselves!" She bowed again, and it was as if a silent sigh was shared between the 9 idols. Had she noticed they were so tired?

They thanked her, and once she was gone, the room burst with conversation.

"What an amazing person!" Sehun said. The others agreed in a wave of nods.

"I can't believe she knows five languages!" Minseok was bewildered, and it seemed like he wasn't the only one.

"And her pronunciation in both Korean and Japanese was so good!" Chanyeol said.

"I'm so jealous.~" Yixing confessed, and Jongdae patted his back.

"Ah, don't be! She's an awesome person all around, so if you compare yourself to her, you'll only get depressed!" He joked, and the others teased Yixing lovingly.

"Are we seriously not going to talk about how pretty she was?" Baekhyun whined, and the rest agreed that she was lovely.

"I've never seen dark brown hair look so good!" Jongin admitted.

"Also, her skin was so nice! I don't think she was wearing face makeup." Chanyeol exclaimed, and in all the commotion, they agreed with him.

"I'm hoping I'll meet her again in another life.~" Kyungsoo swayed.

"You're right! Such a bright spirit can't be hidden for long!" Baekhyun agreed.

Jongdae couldn't understand why, but he felt a twinge of jealousy directed at them both. She truly had been a bright spirit, like a light that illuminated the room as soon as she walked in. He suddenly realized he wasn't as tired anymore. On the contrary: he was now bursting with energy that came from within him. He looked at the closed envelope that had his name, his actual name, neatly and cutely written on the center. He sighed happily, glad she had left behind a piece of herself especially for him. He couldn't wait until he was back in his room to read it. He carefully placed it inside his leather jacket before Minseok exclaimed.

"Aish!~ Now I'm not going to be able to go to sleep."

"I'm full of energy too!" Sehun agreed.

"Hey, we could visit this place she recommended!" Kyungsoo waved her note in the air with the directions of the East Asian restaurant written on it.

"Grah! Our faces are going to be swollen tomorrow," Junmyeon whined, and Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo punched him softly in the ribs, making him burst out laughing.

"Who cares? We haven't had real food in what feels like forever," Minseok said, extending his arms. Junmyeon finally gave in and nodded at his hyung. Minseok giggled and jumped around, excitement evident.

After a brief talk with their manager, they decided to go by foot, since it was very late and the possibility of there being fans wandering outside was slim. They all pulled their hoods up and put on hats, still, just in case.

The Chicago air was sharp and unforgiving as they piled outside in the night. Clouds loomed over them, covering the stars and even the moon, and the buildings were so high and menacing, Jongdae thought they reached right through the clouds. A grey city. Even though it was so late, there were still a few people milling around; businessmen, late night joggers, people walking dogs... Nobody seemed to pay attention to the pack of 9 moving through the city, listening to the navigational system in Kyungoo's phone tell them when to take a turn.

They rarely spoke as they neared the restaurant, and what they did was whispered. Police sirens could be heard in the distance, along with dance music and barking dogs. Jongdae was not a city person. He would much rather be somewhere in the country of Korea, like that one trip that he and Minseok had taken a few years back. He could picture himself lazily looking at a lake, fishing for the night's dinner, the gentle breeze blowing through the trees, making music as it passed and ruffled the leaves of the forest.

Cold wind opened his jacket and a white something flew out. With horror, Jongdae realized it was Isabela's letter that had been carried away by the air.

"Wait!" He called out, either to his band mates or the letter, he didn't know, but he surely ran right after the flying envelope. "No, this can't be happening..." He muttered to himself. Now that the wind was carrying away the letter, he only realized how precious it was to him. For some reason, Isabela had invigorated a new surge of power within him, and he felt like he could do anything.

But now the only thing he had left of hers was flying away.

He could faintly hear his band mates shouting after him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. The envelope was flying towards oncoming traffic, and he thought, This is it. I'm going to lose the letter forever and I'll never know what she wrote down for me.

Just as it was whisked onto the street, it hit a bicycle rider on the face, making them lose control and crash onto a bench, their body rolling and falling on the floor across their bike. Jongdae resisted the urge to curse, and ran to help the victim of his clumsiness. At least the bicycle hadn't swerved onto the oncoming traffic, or else it would have been a much more serious injury than the one they sustained when they hit the bench. As he got closer, his heart turned into a tight knot, because he noticed the rider wasn't wearing a helmet. He realized the rider was a she, and that her arms were scratched as she sat up.

With a start, he also realized that he knew the person sitting up from the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

" _Darn it_ ," she said in Japanese. " _Was that a newspaper or something?_ " She picked up the envelope next to her and a look of pure confusion spread across her face. " _Isn't this..._ "

"Isabela!" Jongdae ran to her. He knew he probably butchered her name, but there were more pressing matters on his mind at the moment. In a hurry, he could only speak Korean. "I'm so sorry! Are you hurt? Are you alright?"

"Ah, Chen!" She smiled sheepishly at him, patting down her hair. "Yes, I'm fine, sorry for the bother."

"Bother?" He exclaimed, frustrated at the whole situation. Of course they had to meet again like this. Of course he had to cause her to hurt herself. Fate was a nasty thing, playing with him like that. "Your arms! You're bleeding!" He knelt down and got a closer look at her now broken skin. He gently grabbed her wrist and in the street lights, he could faintly see the multiple scratches, blood pooling in the larger ones. He resisted the urge to throw up.

"Oh, this? Don't worry, with Chicago traffic, I've sustained much worse." She smiled encouragingly at him, which made him feel anything but encouraged.

"I'm so, so very sorry I caused this for you. Now your arms will scar, and it will be all my fault." He sulked, and she laughed.

"I'm Latina, I don't scar easy. And it's not a burden, really! I'm guessing the wind stole the letter?" She handed him the closed envelope, which was now wrinkled.

He sighed. "I have to repay you somehow. Please, allow me to atone for this!" He stood up and bowed at her. She sighed with a smile and stood up as well, shaking her head and dusting off her clothes.

"If you feel that deeply about this, then alright. What do you have in mind?" She asked him. Jongdae's phone dinged, signalling the incoming message. He fished it out and realized it was Junmyeon.

_**Suho US:** _

_**Hey, you okay? O_O We're gonna send you a PIN from the restaurant. We're already here. ^^** _

"Erm..." What could Jongdae do? His band mates would start to get worried if he didn't get to the restaurant soon, but he couldn't just leave Isabela there by herself after causing her so much trouble. He noticed suddenly, in the nearby distance, a shining bright sign: a convenience store.

The plan formed in his head before he could put it into words. Silently, he grabbed Isabela's bike and nodded towards the Walgreen's.

"Come on," he said. "It's time to pay back my debt."

Isabela followed him without a word. He perched the bike on a parking space designed for it and put the respective lock around the baby pink tube. They reached the doors and comfortably warm air welcomed them. A guard nodded at two, but said nothing. Jongdae took off his hood and revealed a black and blue snapback he had gotten at Taiwan. He walked across the aisles and found what he was looking for: band-aids, disinfectant, and medical napkins to clean her arms with. In the bright light of the convenience store, he could see gravel and small rocks still stuck on her skin, which made his stomach churn in horror.

"Hey, Chen, I'm fine," she said, seemingly reading his mind. "I've gone through much worse, so please don't worry."

He frowned but said nothing. She followed him to the cash register where he paid with his card, since he didn't have the country's currency, and with the bag in hand, he freed the bike and started walking in the general direction of the restaurant. If there was something good about him, it was that he had a great sense of direction.

"I don't mean to be ungrateful, but where are we going?" Isabela asked, and Jongdae looked back at her.

"We're walking towards that East Asian place you told us about. That's where the rest of the members are, and they're waiting for me. I don't think they'll mind an unexpected guest, especially if it's you," he tried to smile at her with all his strength, but he still felt so worried about her.

"Mm!~ I could really go for some ramen right now!" She smiled at him, and the balloon in his chest began to deflate.

"I'm really very sorry for causing you this amount of trouble," he bowed his head at her as they kept walking. She wrinkled her nose cutely and flipped her bangs out of her eyes.

"Oh, please, it's no trouble! And you're going to make it up to me with ramen, right?" She teased, and he nodded.

"Yes, I am. And anything else you want. Really, it's the least I could do after causing you to hurt yourself."

"You're beating yourself up for nothing, oppa." She smiled, and he blushed, happy that it was too dark for her to notice. "Really, I'm the biggest clutz in the universe. I run into walls all the time, I fall off my bike like it's a hobby, I hit my head on everything, which you would think it's impossible because I'm so short, but there you have it. I'm no stranger to a few scratches." She grinned with her tongue caught between her teeth, and he couldn't resist at smiling back.

"How come you're not all scarred up, then?" He asked, hoping he wasn't overstepping.

"I have Latina skin, which is thicker than East Asians'. I can have a scar for a few weeks, but then it fades and it's like nothing ever happened."

Jongdae furrowed his brow. "Do Koreans have thin skin?"

"I think people with darker skin tones have naturally thicker skin, but I may be wrong. Anyways, your cuisine and genetics, along with your skin care, all produce beautiful glowing skin. Aigoo, I wish I had skin like that!~" She whined.

The idol made a face at her statement. "Are you joking? Your skin is flawless!"

"Oh, thank you! Honestly, it's been this way since I started a Korean beauty regimen, so it's all thanks to you guys," Isabela giggled.

"Ah, my skin care is terrible! I always wake up with some sort of blemish, be it dark circles or spots, and have to cover it up with makeup," he confessed.

"At least it's not frowned upon that you wear makeup! Men here can't be caught wearing it, or else they would be fiercely judged," she explained, taking the lead going to the restaurant, since Jongdae looked a bit lost. "But my skin is nice right now because it's a good day. We all wake up with blemishes sometimes, especially if we wear heavy makeup during the day. I think it's a part of what makes us human.~ If we had perfect skin all the time, we would be like gods."

Jongdae pondered over that for a minute. He had always had this unattainable perspective of what the perfect man is supposed to look like: tall, muscly, having a beard, or at least being able to grow one, flawless skin, among other things. He was none of those. No matter how hard he tried, he still found himself stuffing his face all the time with unhealthy things, skipping the gym, and he thought it showed in his stomach. Most of the other members could expose themselves during concerts, but because he didn't share in their muscles, he always felt uncomfortable showing even some of his belly. He wasn't tall either, just a mere 5'8". He wished he could be like Chanyeol, who was always bright and cheery, along with being tall, having perfect abs and nice skin.

Although, now that he thought about it, he remembered times where Chanyeol had woken up with flaming blemishes on his skin. He could also remember paparazzi photographs of other idols and actors who had been caught with a bare face and showed their own flaws. He even recalled how a drama actor he had always looked up to didn't have many muscles, but somehow girls still found him attractive and even went " _kyaaa~_ " over him.

 _I like the way this girl thinks_ , Jongdae thought to himself as he followed behind her. _Imperfections make us human, so I shouldn't stress about small things like my skin or my abs. I need to accept myself as I am and work as hard as I can to make people like her happy._

"Ah!~ Here we are," Isabela announced as they reached the entrance of a place that didn't look like much. The neon red sign flashed the word "Open!". Jongdae looked up and read the large banner above them.

**RISING SUN**

**AUTHENTIC ASIAN FOOD! LUNCH AND DINNER SPECIALS AVAILABLE!**

A cat figurine waved at him from the window, and a paper fan was taped onto the glass. A bad imitation of Chinese tapestry fell like a curtain from the ceiling to the floor inside the restaurant. Jongdae frowned to himself. He had always hated how Americans depicted East Asia: haikus, fake wisdom, and fortune cookies. This place just reeked of stereotypes.

"I know what you're thinking," Isabela said, grabbing the bike from his hands and tying it to a nearby lamp post with a lock. " _'Oh, this place looks totally fake! I would never eat here! It looks so cheesy and slightly offensive!'_ " She poked his arm teasingly. "But trust me, it's legit. You'll see.~" She walked through the doors without waiting for him, and he sighed to himself, not being able to contain his smile. He followed her into the dim restaurant.

Baekhyun nearly choked on his noodles when he saw Isabela. The rest looked equally as surprised: Chanyeol exclaimed some gibberish, Jongin went "WOH!~", Minseok made a face at Jongdae that translated to "Explain this?!", Junmyeon started a coughing fit, Yixing dropped his phone on the table, and Sehun grabbed at his head. The funniest one of all was Kyungsoo, who had spicy mayo all over his face and literally just gaped at her. He didn't move an inch. He just gaped like a koi.

"Look who I found!~" Jongdae gestured at Isabela, who bowed deeply.

"Hello, again," she said. The men seemed to regain their composure, and a lot of them cleared their throats.

"What happened to your arms?!" Chanyeol exclaimed. Instantly, everyone's eyes were on her scratched up skin. Jongdae decided he could crawl in a dark hole and live comfortably in there for the rest of his days.

"Ah, I fell off my bike, but Chen rescued me!" She said, standing up straight and smiling. He had to hold in a laugh, because it was so far from the truth. Then again, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn't a lie. She had fallen off of her bike, although it had been Jongdae's fault, and he had rescued her, in a sense. The idol looked down at his shoes, grinning.

Was there ever going to be a moment when she didn't seem amazing to him?

"And now you're going to sit down while I clean your arms," he ordered her, and she silently obeyed, sitting down on a stool and letting Jongdae get to work.

"Ah, really, Isabela, you should be more careful!" Minseok exclaimed.

"I know~" she pouted. "I'm too clumsy. Please forgive the trouble."

"Hold still, this may sting a little," Jongdae said before spraying disinfectant on her arms. She took a sharp breath, but didn't move.

"Oi, she's tough!" Jongin exclaimed.

"Couldn't you have found something that hurt less, Chen?" Baekhyun teased.

"Shut up, aegyo," Jongdae snapped jokingly.

"OUCH!" Baekhyun took one of his chopsticks and made like he stabbed himself.

After the surprise died down, the members kept on eating while keeping an eye on Isabela and Jongdae. He could feel the members' eyes piercing into the back of his head, but he didn't turn around to meet them. The idol was busy extracting the small rocks and gravel stuck on her skin and then covering the scratches with band-aids. When he finished, she looked ridiculous. Isabela had sustained so many scratches with her fall, her arms looked like a very bad zombie Halloween costume. If the zombie had a year supply of band-aids.

"Ah!~" Isabela exclaimed, stretching her arms happily. "My arms feel much better. Thank you, Chen." She bowed her head at him. He blushed in spite of himself, and cleared his throat.

"Well, you said you were hungry, right?" Jongdae gestured to a menu on the table. "Order whatever you want, and I won't accept you ordering less than three things. If you don't pick, I'll pick for you." He raised his eyebrows at her as she put her hand to her mouth.

"Wah, three things?! I could never eat that much!" She exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Then take home leftovers. I told you I was getting you food, and that's what I'm doing," he said matter-of-factly and took his own look at the menu. He looked for the curry noodles, and found that they were surprisingly cheap.

Out of the corner of his eye, he peeked at Isabela. She was pouting and reading the menu in his hands from a bit far away, squinting to see the small print. He brought it closer to her, and she stuttered, but said nothing as she more easily read the words.

"Etto..." She murmured to herself. Jongdae recognized it from all the Japanese films he'd watched and resisted the urge to laugh. She even exclaimed in other languages, this girl. " _I'll take the, uh... Beef ramen?_ "

He couldn't believe it. She was ordering in _Mandarin_.

The waitress smiled knowingly at her and nodded, writing down her order.

"Aish, my Mandarin is so rusty! Are you going to make us all speak it?" Chanyeol asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "You can speak in Korean if you need to, and I can translate. I just use this place a lot as practice. Most of the workers here are from Shanghai, and they're very patient with me." She smiled at the waitress, whose name was Pei, from her name tag. "P _eiying, I'm telling them, uh... You do very well teaching me Mandarin, that I am very grateful._ "

"Ah, nonsense!" Peiying waved her off with her small notebook. "You're a very good student, and it's refreshing to have someone who isn't Chinese speak Mandarin to us."

"Refreshing?" Isabela repeated the word, testing it out herself.

"Refreshing," Peiying said in English, and Isabela bowed her head at her gratefully. The waitress patted her head, and Isabela blushed, laughing. "Ah, it's also not terrible having such a cute student!"

"Eh?" Isabela blushed deeper, surprised at her words. "Ah, Pei!"

"Hush, now let the man order. I hope with all these men being so handsome and well-dressed, they're paying for your food." She nodded at Jongdae, like she realized he understood every word she was saying. He nodded respectfully at the elder.

"I will be paying," he explained, and Peiying nodded at him like that's what he was supposed to do. "I'll have the curry noodles and this side dish." He pointed at a photo on the menu and the waitress wrote it down.

"You'll want rice with your meals?" She asked Jongdae, and he nodded.

"Yes, please, we are very hungry," he smiled and Pei scribbled her pen. They then ordered their drinks, and the waitress went on her way. He did notice before she left, though, that she gave Isabela a soft jab with her elbow and nodded at Jongdae. Isabela blushed so hard he thought he could smell the fumes coming out of her ears.

"So, Isabela!" Baekhyun smiled at her, pushing away his empty bowl of noodles. Man, that guy could eat. "Tell us about yourself."

"Eh?" Isabela squeaked.

"You know," Baekhyun shrugged. "Hobbies. Sports. Your favorite EXO member. Likings. That sort of thing."

"Waaaahhh?!~" She exclaimed. "My favorite EXO member?" Her cheeks turned pink.

"Sure, since you offered," Baekhyun teased.

"Erm," she looked uncomfortable for the first time in the night, "I don't think it'd be right for me to say that."

"Ahh, I see.~" Jongin followed, continuing Baekhyun's game. "It's Lay, isn't it?"

"Woh?" He looked up from his food like he was just noticing the conversation. "What about me?"

"Isabela said you're her absolute favorite in EXO," Baekhyun mock explained, and Yixing's eyes widened at her.

"What?" She quickly waved her hands at him. "No!"

"No?" Yixing asked, looking slightly confused and vaguely disappointed.

"Aish, that's not- I mean, I didn't-"

"Guys, you're so mean," Kyungsoo laughed, but did nothing to stop it.

"She _did_ say she looked up to him the most!" Jongdae was surprised to see Junmyeon playing along, but he had to admit that Isabela was very teasable. The way her cheeks turned more red with every comment was the only reason Jongdae hadn't stopped them.

"Oh, so, I'm not your favorite? I thought I was!" Chanyeol pouted at her. The 8 men all looked at her expectantly.

"I-I-" She put her hands over her face and started shaking her head in embarrassment.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Jongdae said grimly and all the guys sighed. They went back to their food, except Baekhyun, who still looked at her.

"Hmmm~" He hummed. "I'll figure it out."

Isabela tried to laugh but it came out as a nervous squeak.

"Alright, then, what are your hobbies?" Jongdae asked before thanking the waitress in Mandarin when she brought their food on a tray. In his opinion, curry noodles had never smelled so good before. He broke apart the chopsticks and dug in.

" _Itadakimas~_ " Isabela said in a very low voice she thought no one could hear and broke her own chopsticks. "Hobbies?"

"Yeah, what do you do in your free time and such?" Jongdae knew that Americans looked down on slurping soup, but he couldn't help it. The food was too good and he was too hungry.

"Well, erm, in my free time I like to practice my languages, I guess. Maybe watch movies or dramas in that language. Um, I also like to draw and listen to music. Maybe go for long rides on my bike into places I don't fully know yet." She took a bite of rice.

"Isn't a girl riding her bike alone dangerous around here?" Chanyeol asked.

"Hm?" She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Ahh, you're right," Minseok said, pointing at her with his chopsticks. "It could especially be dangerous if there aren't any people around."

"Oh,~" she said, and looked up, like she's just starting to consider this thought. "I don't know. Nothing's happened to me yet."

"You must have some awfully good luck," Sehun said.

Isabela shook her head. "I definitely do not have good luck." She didn't go into detail, but her expression made them not press any further.

The night went on that way. They softly interrogated her while she ate, and even when they ordered rice cakes, she was still being asked questions. The idols also teased her, because it was so fun to watch her cheeks get red. Since she was already full when she finished her ramen, Jongdae ordered two more things off the menu plus some rice cakes for her to take home, totally not because she adorably resembled a chipmunk when she stuffed her face with them.

Sadly, though, the members had a full day of concert preparations the next day, and it was already after midnight. They needed to get back to the hotel, and all agreed to call Isabela a taxi so she wouldn't have to ride alone in the night. When the taxi arrived, Junmyeon swiped his card so he would be charged for her ride. Isabela thanked them all very, very much and they promised to get some rest after she insisted. Yixing put her bike in the trunk of the taxi, which thankfully was big enough to fit it, and they said their goodbyes.

When she was gone, EXO collectively let out a sigh. Jongdae fingered the letter in his jacket, rubbing it softly along the wrinkled edges. He had promised her to get some rest, but rest could wait until after he finished reading the letter.

The walk to the hotel was filled with laughter and pulling and shoving and teasing. EXO had found their energy again, and even though they were tired, they had motivation and conviction to make their concert tomorrow a grand success. Isabela had told them she would be on the third floor. They needed to put on a show so bright it would reach even her.

When they arrived at the hotel, each pair went off to their respective rooms. Minseok and Jongdae both went into theirs, and Minseok collapsed on the bed and started snoring almost immediately. Jongdae took off his shoes and stretched. He felt so unbearably happy, like he was walking on clouds. It's a wonder what food can do to lift your mood, he thought.

When he was ready for bed, he took the letter out of his jacket and switched on the bedside lamp, casting a dim glow on the rest of the room. His eyes focused on his name written in purple ink that he now realized had glitter in it. He then took a deep sigh, and opened the envelope, revealing the two page letter she had written especially for him and while thinking only about him.

Just the thought of it made his skin tingle.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waaaahh!!~ I can't believe people are already reading my story! Thank you so much for your support since the beginning. I'll do my best to create a story you all can be proud of!~  
> -Xieló <3


	3. Chapter 3

_Isabela_

The English tutor looked at herself in the mirror one last time before leaving. _First impressions_ , she thought, _are the most important_. She wore a white button up shirt under a wool vest that was dotted with warm colors and beautiful patterns. She wondered if her jeans would be frowned upon and seen as unprofessional, but she didn't really have time to dig through her clothes and find a new pair of pants. When she looked up to study her face, a wide-eyed girl stared back at her. Her heartbeat was erratic with nerves.

"Calm down," she told it.

She took a deep breath and pushed up her glasses. She was annoyed that the contacts hadn't arrived yet, but there was nothing she could do about it, so for today she wore her oxford glasses. For their first meeting, she would have to look like a geek. Great.

She grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

A few months ago, she had joined a translating company that not only paid well, but also gave her the chance to travel abroad. She translated calls, meetings, documents, etc. Her superiors visited one day because of the wonderful work she was doing and asked her how she had learned six languages.

"Well, I'm a tutor," she explained to them. One of them eyed her curiously.

"A tutor? Like, a teacher?"

"Similar to a teacher, except tutors are more hands on with the education of our students. We usually take a group of one to ten, and pay special attention to each one of them so that they'll properly learn not only pronunciation, but grammar and how to communicate fluently," she bowed. This particular superior of hers was the CEO of the whole company, and had started it from ground zero in Gangnam, later moving it to Chicago.

"Ah, I see. Your name is Isabela Arrellano, correct?" He asked her. She was so surprised to see a Korean pronouncing her name so well, but then she remembered he knew about 12 languages, including Latin. She decided not to underestimate this man.

"Yes, sir," she said, nodding.

"Alright. Keep up the good work, Ms. Arrellano. We may use you more in the name of this company," he said before making his exit, the rest of the superiors following. His last words made her wonder what he meant. In the last two months, she had climbed the corporate ladder at a blinding speed, and that had welcomed both admiration and criticism. Many of her coworkers thought she had sold herself for the position she was now in, which was managing a whole translation team from Korean into English. Every few days, they'd ask her to work in a different language department, being Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, or Mandarin, which she had perfected the year before. What more work _could_ they give her?

She fingered the charm on her necklace as she worked in her office. She remembered that night in Rising Sun, where she had eaten dinner with EXO. That experience had completely changed her, and she realized she needed to work harder than ever before, giving her tutoring her all. Things changed when she tutored the CEO's son, who didn't speak English well enough to enroll in a specific private school in the city. She had been hired by his mother, but eventually the CEO would begin to watch her and when the son was accepted into the school, she was offered a full time job at his father's company.

The charm on her necklace was from that night with EXO. It was at first a cheap metal sun that could break easily. It had come with the rice cake bag Jongdae had bought for her to take home. She couldn't imagine parting with it, so she had gotten it to a jeweler, who had coated it in gold and added a small loop for her to be able to wear it on a thin chain.

Now her little golden sun was a reminder of that magical night with all of them.

As she walked the streets of Seoul, she wondered what EXO was up to these days. To be perfectly honest, she tried not to dwell too much on the fact that they were supposed to be in the same city she was now in. The thought made her too giddy, and she couldn't have those thoughts now that she was going to meet her new clients.

The crisp cold wind reminded her of her old home in Chicago, but that was about all that was even slightly similar. The streets were cleaner and nicer, and the architecture was different from the towering buildings that had once surrounded her. Even her cheap apartment in Seoul was far better than the room she rented in Chicago.

She still couldn't believe she was there, in South Korea. The thought was so unreal, if you had told her six months ago she would travel to Asia in less than a year, she would have never believed it. But there she was, and she smiled to herself. Her hard work had payed off.

Isabela was on her way to meet a group of new clients she was supposed to tutor in English. Her CEO had personally assigned her this job, so she couldn't mess it up. She was there representing the whole company, and a lot was riding on her shoulders.

The entire ordeal had been very... Odd. The group was apparently made up of very prominent individuals, because she had signed a contract that instructed her to not talk about the people she met, post photos of them, their location, or, in fact, anything that tied her to them in any way. In essence, the group and her would not know each other. She also had never spoken to anyone in the group directly, but always with a mediator through cryptic emails that completely hid their identities. She wondered if they were politicians, or businessmen who wanted to be world renowned. Perhaps it was a group of gangsters who wanted to extend their drug dealing outside of Korea.

Yup, Isabela had too broad of an imagination.

The GPS coordinates stopped her in front of a plain building that she didn't bother reading the name of. One look at her watch had her running into the place and up the stairs in a hurry.

Room 200.

She panted in front of the door labeled that way. She controlled her breathing and once again reminded her heart to slow down. Her palms were clammy, and she was thankful that it was too cold for her to sweat any more. She pushed her glasses up and patted down her hair, brushing her bangs with her fingers then dusting off her vest. Clenching her purse tightly, she inhaled and opened the door.

" _Meu Deus_..." She gaped.

The first one she laid her wide eyes on was Kyungsoo, who mirrored her expression and dropped a piece of sandwich onto the carpet. The conversation in the room died down when they noticed her.

 _So,_ she thought, _this is how I die._

Her heart did a backflip and landed in her stomach. Her mouth wasn't closing, or moving at all. It seemed to her like her brain had short-circuited. She could only blink.

"Gentlemen," their manager said, gesturing at Isabela, "this is Ms. Arrellano. She is going to be your new English tutor. Ms. Arrellano, meet EXO."


	4. Chapter 4

_Isabela_

"Um... Hello," she bowed deeply at them. "Thank you for having me."

This could not be happening to Isabela. It had to be a dream. One sick, twisted dream that she would eventually have to wake up from.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." The manager smiled at her kindly. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm so sorry for the secrecy surrounding this meeting, but you have to understand, these men that are standing before you are the universally known pop sensation known as EXO." Suddenly, the manager's eyes turned cold. "You're not a fan, are you?"

For some reason, Isabela's instincts reacted before she did. "No," she answered, and his kind smile returned.

"Ah, that's a relief. If you had been a fan, we would have had to find a replacement for you, you see. Fans are strictly prohibited to be a part of this company, since so many have already infiltrated it to the point of stalking them. Alas, it seems EXO are not as popular in the Americas as they are here in Asia, which is why you're here."

She blinked at him. "Why I'm here?"

"Yes, you see, SM Management would like EXO to reach even further. They indeed have fans in the United States and Latin America, but we want to make them as known as other western bands, like One Direction. For that, they would have to speak perfect English."

"Oh," she nodded, "I see."

In all honesty, Isabela wanted to strangle this man in front of her. She indeed was a fan of EXO, enough of a fan to know that they worked these boys to the bone and they didn't even earn what they deserved. Most of the money made from concerts, merchandise, dramas, and albums were to fill SM's pockets. Isabela knew EXO generated _millions_ of dollars for this company, yet they rarely got to see this money. In her eyes, EXO were more like slaves than pop stars. Some of them had even fainted in the past for working themselves too hard for SM.

She had to control her thoughts. She managed a smile at him.

"Very well, then," he said, bowing his head at her. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave you to get acquainted with them before the real work begins."

Isabela bowed. "Thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down."

She remained bowing until he left the room. She blinked at the floor. Did they remember her at all?

"Y-you're..." Baekhyun stuttered.

"This is a prank, right?" Chanyeol asked.

She straightened her back but remained quiet.

"I don't know if I'm seeing correctly," Kyungsoo said, blinking at her. "You're Isabela, right?"

She let out a breath and nodded. They did remember her, which made her heart flutter.

"This is... very weird," Junmyeon said, his cool composure shattering with surprise.

"This can't be a coincidence, right?" Yixing asked, mouth open.

"So," Jongin said, sitting down on a chair, "you're our new English tutor, huh?" 

Isabela nodded. "So it seems."

Minseok whistled. "This will be interesting, then."

"Wah!~ Your arms are all healed!" Chanyeol exclaimed.

"Oi, it's true!" Minseok's eyes widened at her. 

"Guys, if she's going to be our tutor, we have to speak to her more formally," Sehun said.

"But... You're younger than us, right?" Kyungsoo asked, and she nodded.

"I'm 22," she explained.

"So, how do we speak to you?" Junmyeon asked her. She tilted her head and looked up, thinking.

"Hm... I'm not offended if you speak to me informally, to be honest."

"Ah, that makes things easier," Baekhyun said, sitting down next to Jongin and picking at his friend's snack food. Jongin rolled his eyes at him.

"In return, you can speak to us informally as well," Chanyeol said with a smile. 

She giggled at him, his smile calming her nerves. "Alright, oppa."

"Gah!~ You're so cute!" Chanyeol walked over to her and patted her head. She blushed at him.

"C-Cute?" She asked. Park Chanyeol had just called her cute. She was about to burst.

"Aigoo, I guess there's no reason to hide it," Minseok said. "We had honestly been hoping to meet you again someday."

"Wah?~" She exclaimed.

"You were so bright and refreshing when we met you, it made is do really well in our concert the next day. You were like a good luck charm," Sehun explained.

Yeah, okay. This was definitely a dream.

"Oh, i-it wasn't me! That was all thanks to your hard work!" Isabela insisted, but Chanyeol shook his head.

"No, we were very tired that evening and a bit depressed, so meeting you was our turning point. We did well because of you, so, thank you very much for meeting with us that night!" 

"Ah, is it okay if we call you by your first name?" Junmyeon asked. "We are going to be friends and all."

"F-Friends?" She stuttered. Surreal. This was too surreal.

"Would you like that?" He asked. "We're going to be working very closely for the next few months, so I thought..."

"Y-yes, I would love to be friends!" She bowed. "And you can call me by my first name too!"

"Ah, but your first name is so difficult to pronounce!" Exclaimed Yixing.

"We should give her a Korean name!" Baekhyun suggested.

"Um, I would love that, actually," Isabela said, giggly again and bouncing on her heels.

"How about Mun-hee?" Said Kyungsoo.

"Meh," answered Baekhyun.

"Isn't it a bit much?" Jongin asked, and Kyungsoo shrugged.

"Hyo-sonn?" Junmyeon suggested.

"No offense, but there is literally nothing gentle about her. Don't you remember she fell of her bike in Chicago?!" Chanyeol laughed and Isabela nodded.

"This is true," she said.

"Sun-hi," Minseok exclaimed. 

Jongin made a face. "Maybe."

"Hm..." Chanyeol studied Isabela from the table. "What about Mi-kyong?"

"Ah,~" Junmyeon exclaimed. "That actually suits her very well."

"Doesn't it?" Baekhyun nodded.

"Mikyong?" Isabela asked, and Jongin nodded.

"I like it for you, too," he told her.

"Ah, then I'll also cherish this name!" She said, smiling brightly at all of them.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Isabela/Mikyong that Jongdae hadn't said anything since she came in. A voice in her head had nagged her for being so clumsy the year before, and it seemed now that Jongdae didn't have positive memories of her. He only stared at her, his face completely solid and emotionless. She tried very hard not to meet his gaze, because she felt like she was going to be pulverized by it as soon as she did. She only studied him out of the corner of her eye, and hoped that he wouldn't be this quiet for their tutoring sessions. Still, he worried her. Had she done something to offend him that night?

She glanced at him, and he glared, his stare like a thousand knives stabbing into her soul.

She decided not to look again.

"So, Mikyong," Minseok sat down as well. "How'd you get to Seoul?"

"By plane," she said, then burst out laughing, a little forced. "I'm sorry, that was too easy."

"Ah, you're getting smart with me already, huh?" He chuckled. 

She nodded once. "Yup." Mikyong set her purse on the table and sat down across from Baekhyun and Jongin, next to where Chanyeol was leaning and to Minseok's right. She explained how she had joined the translation company, and how the CEO gave her this assignment. She attempted to downplay her intelligence, but it proved impossible.

"Woh!~" Chanyeol sat down next to her. Kyungsoo sat next to Baekhyun, and Sehun sat next to Jongdae, who still remained quiet. Junmyeon sat down as well, and so did Yixing after grabbing some coffee from the snacks table. The layout of the room reminded Mikyong of EXO Showtime, and she wondered if it was here where they filmed it.

"So, you're a genius," Jongin said, and Mikyong laughed.

"Not at all," she promised. "Just a hard worker."

"And humble too!" Minseok exclaimed, and Baekhyun laughed.

"I'm not being humble!" She said honestly. "I'm no more special than anyone else. In fact, I've been told I'm very dense." She pressed her index fingers together in a "pyong" motion.

"Ah, what do you mean dense?" Kyungsoo asked. 

She shrugged. "I guess I can't discern people's feelings as well as I would like. It also doesn't help that I'm gullible as well, so a lot of people make fun of me for it," she puffed her cheeks and pouted. "I'm also sensitive, so please be gentle with me."

"Yah!" Chanyeol rubbed her head as if she was a kitten. "You're so cute when you puff your cheeks like that!"

"Eek!" She squealed, covering her blushing face with her hands. "Don't tease me like that, oppa!"

"I'm telling you the truth, you're probably the most adorable thing I've seen in a while," he admitted, and tried to tickle her.

"N-No!" She couldn't get away fast enough as this massive giant went and poked her ribs. She squirmed, giggling uncontrollably. 

"Aha! I've found your weakness!" Chanyeol said, laughing. 

"P-Please!" She said between breaths, still trying to get away. He finally let up and she gasped for air. She tried as hard as she could to control her breathing like she'd learned years ago, but it was so difficult now that she hadn't had to do it for a while.

"Mikyong, are you alright?" Jongin asked, seeming a bit worried. Black spots danced in her eyes, but she managed a smile.

"Out of shape, is all," she stuck her tongue out. "I don't really exercise. Or eat well. Or do anything to take care of my health," she lied.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tickled you," Chanyeol said, feeling guilty. She shook her head at him.

"Please, we're friends now, you can tease me all you like.~" She finally sighed and fanned her face, which was red from laughing. "Now, I would like to know your level of English, so I want to do a little test, if it's alright with you." All of them said yes, except Jongdae, who shrugged. "Okay, I brought this notebook, and I'm going to write down something on it that I want you guys to read, one by one, out loud so I can hear." She fished the notebook out of her bag and wrote down the sentence.

_The pink fish jumped in the ocean water._

"Park, since you're so awake today, you can start." She wiggled her brows at him, and he gulped.

"You can call us by our first names, you know..." He murmured before clearing his throat. " _The pink fish jumped in the ocean water_ ," he read slowly. 

She nodded. "You did very well!" The tutor exclaimed. "Now, can you tell me what you read?"

"Er, the pink fish hops in the ocean water," he said, unsure of himself. 

She smiled. "Close! " _Jumped_ " is the past tense version of " _jumps_ ," which is a bit different from " _hops"_. When you hear " _jumps_ ," think of when humans jump. When you hear " _hops_ ," think of when frogs hop. It's a very easy mistake to make, so don't worry about it. Next, Yixing," she wrinkled her nose at him. 

He pouted. "This is very unfair, you know," he said.

Mikyong laughed. "This isn't a test. I'm not a teacher, so don't think of me as one. Just do your best, okay?"

He sighed and nodded. " _The pink fish jumped in the ocean water._ " 

It went on like that for the next hour or so, each idol reading the sentence and then Mikyong guiding them when they made a mistake. By the time their manager peeked through the door to tell the boys they had a schedule to keep, she had realized she had her work cut out for her. Their pronounciations were off, and although they understood the general meaning of the sentence, their literal translation needed work. It wasn't any worse than anything she had worked on before, so she just had to give it her all so they could speak the language better to the point of being fluent.

As she walked home, she felt sad and looked down at the little golden sun that hung from her necklace. Even when Jongdae spoke English, he hadn't really looked at her, just read the sentence like it was a burden she was there. She sighed to herself, then blinked. What if what she wrote down on the letter was too intimate? What if he felt uncomfortable by her presence? What if he _resented_ her for what had happened in Chicago?

 _Calm down, Mikyong,_ she told herself, getting used to her new name. _He's your client, and you're here for a job. Don't worry too much. He'll probably warm up to you eventually._

Still, there was that nagging voice in her head. She didn't know how she'd react if she found out he hated her for some reason. Maybe he regretted helping her then. Maybe she had ruined everything at dinner and made a fool out of herself somehow.

She fished out her earphones from her purse and plugged them into her phone. Mikyong gave the world a small smile when the first lyrics of EXO's Peter Pan started playing.


	5. Chapter 5

_Jongdae_

  
That evening, Jongdae couldn't wait to get to his room. He was grateful that after their meeting this morning, the other members had been too involved with their own excitement and surprise that they hadn't noticed the dark cloud that loomed over his head. He walked over to his window and looked out at the night, and momentarily wondered what Mykiong was doing at that moment.

 _Stop it_ , he told himself.

But it was too late. His thoughts drifted to the letter she had written him a year before. He'd read it so many times, he knew the words by heart.

_Jongdae,_

_I don't know how to start this letter. It has been so easy writing to the other members, but you're the most difficult for me, and I've quite honestly been procrastinating and putting off writing this. How do I let you know how much life your smile has breathed life into my days? How can words explain that I feel connected to you although we've never met? Am I crazy? Do I sound sane to you?_

_Every time I hear your voice in one of your tracks, my muscles tense, and I can't begin to tell you how beautiful your laugh sounds to me, just like the trickling music created by a river. Thinking back on how many times I've been sad, how many time's I've been depressed, and your voice was the only thing to pull me out of an ocean of tears... How can I ever repay you? A person who's as big as a speck of dust in the distance, distinguished only by the pale glow of her flashlight, how can this type of person ever wish to become someone you could be proud of?_

_You probably get this kind of confession every day, being Kim Jongdae, Chen from EXO. But I cannot meet you and not let you know what you personally mean to me. If you're wondering, the letters I've written for the other members aren't nearly this personal. This is why I've put off writing your letter for weeks, although I know I'm meeting you tomorrow. Some emotions can't be so easily translated into words. Some feelings cannot be explained no matter how hard one tries. That's the cruel reality of the spoken language: millions of words, and still no description of our true feelings, hidden by a pretense of strength. Is it because we, as humans, fear emotional connection? Is it because the mere thought of our souls becoming naked in front of another terrifies us so much that we don't even dare to create words that allow us to expose our weaknesses, to become vulnerable?_

_I grew up with very delicate health. I'm fine now and haven't had problems with it for a long time, but for years I was moved across different countries to find treatment for my conditions. I tell people that the reason I learned Korean was because of a student of mine, but that's only part of the truth. Though she was the reason I perfected it, you were the basis of my passion for the language. Why, you ask? Because there's nothing more frustrating in this world than meeting the person who has basically kept you sane for years and not being able to communicate exactly what they are to you. That's why when I met my student, I already knew some Korean. I never wanted to meet you and have the barrier of language between us. This is me, exposing my weaknesses, becoming vulnerable to you._

_I really owe you a lot, and I can't begin to tell you how much. You don't make music with people like me in mind, worthless screws in the running machine of the world, the ones that if lost, nobody would notice, nor care. But I notice you. I notice all of you, the way you give your very best in every performance, in every concert, every track, the passion that fills your lungs and moves your feet to the beat of the songs you help create. The way your lips curl into different smiles, each of them created specifically for the person you're looking at. You have no idea how much each one of those smiles fills me with hope._

_Please, don't ever stop smiling. As long as you smile, I'll have a reason to smile too._

_With love and appreciation,_

_Isabela Arrellano_

Jongdae grabbed at his head and plopped down on his bed face-first. Did she know how much that letter had _ruined_ him this past year? Whenever he least expected it, her words would pop into his head. It was hard to concentrate, hard to have fun, hard to even be sad or sulk. Mykiong... No, Isabela had placed a world on his shoulders, and it was weighing him down.

Until she walked through that door.

Instantly, his mind had gone blank. He couldn't process anything enough to speak. Her green eyes seemed brighter than he remembered them, dusted with specks of brownish gold and sparkling with stars plucked straight from the sky. Her hair and skin reminded him of milk chocolate with sweet caramel inside, the type that would give you a sugar high as soon as you ate it.

"Aish..." He muttered into his pillow. Now that she was once again gone, he felt a hollow in his stomach, like he hadn't eaten in days, an indescribable lack of _something_ that he needed more of, like a drug he was addicted to.

Jongdae needed to get his act together. They would be spending every day together, and he couldn't just say nothing to her forever. Eventually, he would have to speak. Eventually, he would have to say something.

He groaned and put the pillow on top of his head, blocking out the city sounds and creating a muffle around his ears. He would see her again tomorrow. Her ruby eyes would stare at him tomorrow. They'd blink when she didn't understand something, crinkle when she laughed, widen when she was surprised. A surge of energy not unlike the one he experienced last year when he met her passed through his muscles and, before he knew it, he was standing next to the bed. He pinched himself, but the feeling didn't go away.

" _What_ is going on with me?" He asked out loud. He rolled his eyes, puffing his cheeks in a sigh. He needed to blow off steam. What better way to do that than with exercise? He changed into his tank and shorts, grabbed his keys, phone, and earphones and walked out the door.

Oh, he burned fuel alright. After 30 minutes of cardio, he did sets of crunches, weightlifting, sumo squats, sit-ups, pushups, pull-ups...

"Hey, man," Minseok greeted him as he struggled with a dumbbell. He placed it on the stands at either sides of his head and panted, sweat glistening on his bare skin, then removed his earphones that were blasting hard rock. "Weird seeing you around these parts. You okay?" As if Chen needed a reminder that he never went to the gym.

"Fine." Jongdae's reply was harsher than he intended. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry, I'm just.. Not really tired." It was a lie. He definitely _was_ exhausted after a full day of work and training, but there were just too many things on his mind for sleep.

"Ah, I see," Minseok nodded and sat and bench-pressed 150 pounds like it was cotton candy. "It's been a weird day, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Jongdae pretended not to know, but his hyung made a face at him.

"You think I didn't notice you acting all uppity when we saw Mikyong and talked with her?" His hyung rolled his eyes and put down the weights, then stared pointedly at his dongsaeng. "Listen, I've known you for long enough to know when something's up. And something's definitely up."

Chen shifted his gaze from meeting Xiumin's eyes. Sometimes, he hated how well his best friend knew him. Some things, sometimes, were better left unsaid, better left in the dark. Minseok didn't seem to know that, or if he did, he didn't care.

"Did you and her do something in Chicago that we don't know about?" Minseok's tone of voice was deadly serious, and it took a brief second for Jongdae to process what he was asking. As soon as he did, a violent blush spread across his face and neck.

"God, no!" He stared horrified at him. Minseok shrugged and put his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I had to ask."

"No, you literally didn't."

"Well, what else am I supposed to think, bro?" Minseok gestured at him with his hands, frustrated. "You basically become a brick when she's around, limiting your replies to shrugs and empty stares. You literally not only rescued her when she fell off her bike, and not only did you clean her scratches, but you also bought her dinner. Like, have you stopped to think today how she might feel about you not talking to her?"

Jongdae groaned and put his face in his hands. He actually _hadn't_ thought of how she felt, and now he felt like the world's biggest douchebag. His memory immediately went back to her letter.

_Please, don't ever stop smiling. As long as you smile, I'll have a reason to smile too._

He hadn't smiled at all when she was around. He had even glared at her a few times, not on purpose, but because he was still so surprised at seeing her. He expected her to dissolve into vapor at any given second, and then he'd wake up to realize it had all been a dream.

Had he taken her reason to smile?

He then recalled the giggles she'd shared with the other members, the brief smiles, the laughter at their jokes and teasing. Jealousy was a fruit in his chest, ripe and ready to pick.

"She _looked_ to be having fun, at least," Jongdae grumbled. Minseok clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes again.

"Aish. You obviously didn't notice her shooting worried glances your way, and then completely avoiding eye contact with you once you glared at her. The other guys, they're dense, but I know a little about people's feelings. I could tell that your attitude made her..." He thought for a second. "I wouldn't say sad, but it definitely made her mood drop."

"You know this all from watching her?" Chen raised his eyebrow, doubtful. Xiumin gave him an exasperated sigh.

"It's like I can't even talk to you," he shook his head. "Her smile was actually sad to see when you spoke English, literally the only words you spoke this morning. The poor thing was trying her best to be cheerful, but, God, her eyes looked like a deer in the headlights. If you didn't notice _that_ , then I don't know what to tell you, man."

"Listen," Jongdae raised his brows, making a face and shaking his head. "I just wasn't in a good mood this morning, and didn't feel like talking. Is that a crime?"

"It wouldn't be, if you hadn't been so talkative and bright before she came into the room," Minseok raised his eyebrows in a face that meant 'Checkmate.' Jongdae narrowed his eyes at him. He hated that face.

"Ugh," he plopped down on the matted floor, defeated. "Fine. Fine, fine, fine. You're right. I was a douche this morning."

"Yes, you were."

"She's just..." He trailed off before finishing his sentence. Truthfully, he didn't know how to end his statement. She's just brilliant? She was, but that wasn't it. She's just beautiful? She was that too, but it wasn't what he wanted to say.

What he wanted to say was that he was a coal miner, and after years of stained hands and underground caves illuminated by the warm glow of battery powered bulbs, he unexpectedly found a ruby, and that the ruby was so beautiful, so bright, so stunning that it made every block of gold, every silver coin, every diamond cutout seem like absolute garbage.

What he wanted to say was that he'd never seen the ocean before, not really, and after months of desert plains and hot summer days, after years of melting ice and sticky humid nights, after decades of heat exhaustion and sand storms, he'd finally reached a turquoise green sea that he wanted to swim in forever.

What he wanted to say was that after thousands of years of desolation, after sins and suffering, after seeing vast wastelands and stepping over cracked clay floors, he had walked through a forest to find overflowing water streams, gorgeous blooming trees with ripe fruits to eat, a blue sky decorated by the fluffiest white clouds he'd ever seen, and flowers grew between his feet.

He wanted to say that he'd finally found Eden.

But he couldn't find the words.

Minseok sighed. "Be careful."

Jongdae furrowed his brow. "Careful?"

"Careful." He went back to his weights, signalling the conversation was over. Minseok always acted all cool, and while part of Jongdae wanted to ask him what he meant, exhaustion overtook him. He just didn't have the energy.

Cool water fell over the idol's body, the refreshing drops awakening his mind once again. What would happen tomorrow? He needed an action plan. He couldn't just sit and be silent, not this time. That morning was a mistake he needed to atone for. But how?

He sighed and turned closed the faucet, then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Jongdae's eyes found the mirror by accident, and he couldn't help but study his pale figure. After tonight's workout, he would definitely wake up sore tomorrow. He groaned at the thought and pushed his blonde hair back out of his eyes so he could start the skincare routine he hated. It was so much work, every stinking day and every stinking night, but it was a routine the care and prep team swore by and required him to follow. If it were up to him, he'd just wash his face and put on some kind of moisturizer. He wished that his skin behaved well enough he could do that.

In the past year, he'd grown to develop some sort of appreciation for his body. He used to hate even looking at himself in the mirror, because every time he did, he'd find a new flaw to capitalize on. But now, he could study himself and even find positive things to praise himself over. It may sound vain to some, but Jongdae was learning to love himself as he was, not thinking about what could be if things were just a bit different. _If things could be different, they would be,_ he thought. _I can't be perfect. I'm not a god. I just have to accept my role as a human and do the best I can._

Easier said than done. It had taken him a while, but he was finally beginning to look at himself as a human being, not an all-powerful perfect deity, and accept his flaws, whatever they may be.

He could choose to ignore his flaws, but that felt fake to him. "How can I say I accept myself when I just overlook what I don't like?" He once told Minseok. "I'm going to learn to love my flaws, because they make me _me_. If I didn't have them, I would have grown up to be different, so the blessings I have now, I wouldn't have if I didn't have my flaws as well as my virtues. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'll accept _all_ of me, not just the parts that I like already."

Of course, he didn't tell his hyung about Isabela's letter. In fact, when the rest of the members discussed their letters they had received from her, he simply remained quiet. He didn't want to share something so deep, so personal. She trusted him with her feelings, and he had to do everything in his power to keep them safe from harm.

Jongdae put on a pair of grey Calvin Klein boxer briefs and headed straight to bed. Sadly, although his body was past the point of exhaustion, his mind was wide awake and going 300kmh. By the time it was 3:30a, he had grown so frustrated, he groaned and tried to suffocate himself with the pillow. Finally, at about 5:00a, his body found comfort as his mind rested, and the rest of him followed.


	6. CHAPTER SIX

You didn't know how you got there. You were in a room, if you could call it that, that had no end in sight; no walls to support its foundations, no corner. Just ceiling and floor. You looked down at yourself and you would have jumped- if you had legs. Under your eyes, there was nothing: no nose, no torso, no body to go along with your voice.

"Hello?" You said out loud, not to anyone in particular, but just to check if you actually existed. Your words echoed across the emptiness.

"Who's there?" A girl materialized next to you. Her expression was sad and dazed, her deep turquoise eyes like stale water. In your opinion, her features left almost nothing to be desired. She had long eyelashes that reached her straight set eyebrows, the soft ocean of her hair falling in deep brown waves. Under her small but straight nose were round pink lips that you feel would stretch into a gorgeous smile. Her skin was like fresh caramel, so soft you wanted to dip your finger in it. If anything, you would have added her a few inches, since she definitely didn't even reach 5'4". Other than that, she was near perfect.

Yet, something told you she was different than what you saw before you. Something was off about her appearance. You realized that her lips were _supposed_ to curl into a smile.

Sudden recognition dawned on you like a heavy weight, and you were left speechless.

"Isabela?" You finally breathed. Her brow furrowed at you.

"Do I know you?" She asked. Although you had no face, no structure or being, you could feel her eyes boring right through you.

"Yes, you do. And I know you," you found yourself saying. _Weird_ , you thought to yourself. With a start, you also realized that you weren't speaking English or any other language you were used to, but Portuguese. What was even more alarming was that you remembered five other languages to speak, as well.

"Your voice sounds very familiar..." She told you, trailing off, her thin fingers grazing her lips.

"Think back, Isabela," you told her, and as you did, things began to make sense. "When you were 6 and you engulfed yourself in Spanish books. Wasn't I the voice that read you the stories?"

She blinked at you.

"When you were 10 and you decided to learn English. Wasn't I there when you talked to your friends through IM? Wasn't I the one who translated things to you?"

She took a sharp breath.

"When you were 12 and you watched your first anime episode. Wasn't mine the voice that later whispered the meanings of each word you heard?"

"So, you're..." Isabela trailed off again. You sighed.

"When you were 15 and your parents got into a sudden car crash and died. Wasn't I the one who held your hand and kept you sane?"

She grimaced, but you kept going.

"At 17, when you first discovered EXO, wasn't I the source of your daydreaming, how your happiness formed and blossomed although you had never met them, although you were stuck in hospital rooms and surrounded by your parents' useless money?"

She remained quiet, eyes wide at you. You tried a smile.

"I'm your subconscious, Isabela," you finally explained. She nodded.

"I remember you." She shook her head, confused. "But, you only appeared during hard times. Why are you here again?"

"Well," you sat crosslegged next to her on the floor, "it seems like you're in distress. Can you tell me what's up?" She let out a long breath and gestured around her.

"See for yourself."

You noticed origami pillars surrounded you both, locking you in a paper cage. The sheets had words written on them, too small for you to read, but they gave you a nasty vibe and you resisted the urge to kick them down.

"What are _those_?" You growled.

" _That's_ a legally binding contract," Isabela explained, frowning.

"What for?"

"It prevents me from talking about EXO to anyone. If I do, I run the risk of being deported, or worse. I had to delete my blog, block my mutuals, my friends... I deleted my messages, my DMs, my V-Live apps and SNOW accounts... I'm empty now. See my phone." She held it up to you and you saw only the factory apps that came with the phone, like Notes and Camera. You clicked your tongue in disgust.

"Have you tried breaking down the pillars?" She rolled her eyes, then sneezed.

"Excuse me." She wiped her nose and sighed. "Of course I did, but the contract's rock solid. There aren't any loop holes. I'm basically friendless now."

"Well..." You desperately tried to look for the positive side, "at least you have EXO." She laughed sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure the light of my life hates me." She grabbed at her head. "Ah~ How I wish he'd talk to me!"

"Jongdae?" She nodded, and you sighed. "Give it time, it was your first day."

"I know, and he _already_ hates me. God, I think I'm in such a depressed mood, I gave myself a cold."

As soon as you tried to extend your hand, it became bone and flesh. You patted her head in an attempt at comforting her, but you really couldn't do much. She had dedicated her past few years to idealizing a certain individual, and now she suspected that individual hated her. Was there a cure for a broken heart?

"Hey, how about you call in sick when you wake up, huh? Spend the day watching dramas. That always cheers you up." You smiled at her, and you finally felt like you had sustenance and weight. "Plus, who knows. Maybe today something unexpected will happen."

"Maybe..." The world started to fade out of focus, and finally you slept, confident she was going to be fine.


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

_Jongdae_

" _What?!_ " Baekhyun exclaimed.

"Yes, unfortunately, Ms. Arrellano's manager called to let us know she wouldn't be able to attend the tutoring sessions today due to an unseen circumstance," EXO's manager made a wide gesture with his hands. "She sends her deepest apologies for any trouble she might have caused."

"Is she alright, though?" Chanyeol asked. Again, a little spark of jealousy fluttered inside Jongdae's chest.

"She is, apparently, indisposed at the moment. Meanwhile, we have a lot of work to do regarding your new music video and choreography, so with this new free space of time, we can work even harder to make your next comeback a success." The 9 all bowed at the manager before he made his exit.

"Wah!~"

"I was actually eager to see h- learn more English," Kyungsoo blushed.

The manager's words resonated inside Jongdae's head. She is, apparently, indisposed at the moment. In her letter, she had confessed she suffered from delicate health growing up, but that she hadn't had health problems in years. His thoughts drifted to yesterday, when she got so red after being tickled, and then tried to control her breathing like she struggled to do so.

He couldn't help but be worried. What if her bad health had returned? _Aish_. He couldn't think like that.

"I'll just text her to see how she's doing," Minseok said, and Jongdae's head snapped in his direction.

"You have her number?" He asked, surprised and, again, jealous.

"We exchanged numbers just in case something were to happen." Minseok quickly typed something into his phone and a whoosh sound marked a message being sent.

"That's very convenient," Jongdae murmured, not loud enough for anyone else to hear. Not a second after, Minseok's phone dinged with an incoming message. He looked at his phone and sighed.

"What is it?" Asked Sehun.

"She has a cold, apparently. She says she's not used to the weather yet," Minseok shrugged and put his phone away in his pocket.

"So, I guess we have to rehearse the choreography for our new single, huh?" Chanyeol looked defeated.

"I practiced my English for today, too," Junmyeon whined.

"Oh, like what?" Jongin teased.

"Most probably something like "Can I touch your boob?"" Baekhyun mocked. Jongdae sneered.

" _Hey, sexy, can I have your number_ ," Sehun said in English, making Jongin and Baekhyun burst out in laughter.

"You _better_ not have prepared to say anything of the sort to Mikyong," Jongdae growled. Baekhyun put his hands up in defense.

"Whoa, there, Mr. Serious. Of course we didn't."

"Have you ever heard of a joke, Chen?" Jongin elbowed him in the ribs, but he shrugged him off.

"It's not a joke if it's not funny."

"Yikes," Baekhyun winced. "I guess somebody got off the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"If you haven't noticed, nobody has to stand for you being a douchebag, Byun."

"Whoa there," Junmyeon interfered before Jongdae could say anything else. "Nobody's saying anything disrespectful to Mikyong, and nobody's insulting anyone else, got it?"

Jongdae rolled his eyes and Baekhyun puffed his cheeks in exasperation, gesturing at Chen like _Can you believe this guy?_ The idol with the Cheshire cat lips didn't care. Over his dead body would they talk so disrespectfully about someone as kind and caring as Mikyong. But, of course, Baekhyun was Baekhyung, and Jongdae knew it was just a matter of time 'til he made another unnecessary comment about her. He would just have to suck it up.

Suddenly, Jongdae's phone dinged with an incoming message. Weird, he thought. Who would text me so early in the morning?

He unlocked his phone and noticed it was a contact message from Minseok. It was Mikyong's number. Chen looked up at his hyung, who simply raised his eyebrow at him and went back to playing on his phone.

Sweat beads began to form on Jongdae's temples. What could he text her? Would she be weirded out to find that he has her number? What if she got creeped out?

Jongdae took a deep breath. He opened his Messaging app.

< _Good morning, Mikyong. I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I sincerely hope you feel better tomorrow so we can work hard as a team._

Whoosh, message sent. Message delivered. He would have started biting his nails if she hadn't texted back so quickly.

> _Wah!~ I thought we were through with the formalities! >.<_

Jongdae smiled at his phone and quickly typed something back.

< _Keke, sorry. How are you feeling?_

Ding!

> _Bleh, I keep sneezing and I have to blow my nose every three seconds. I need to get up and get some medicine at the pharmacy, but I have a fever. I'll do it later when I'm feeling a little better._

Chen got a little knot in his heart. Poor Mikyong. Her third day in a new country, and she already got a fever. However, a plan formed in his head.

"Do, um," he started, unsure of himself. "Do any of you know where Mikyong lives?" Baekhyun eyed him suspiciously, but Chanyeol nodded.

"Yeah, I know. It's that apartment complex in front of that café you and Minseok like. Apartment 408, I think." He ignored the new flare of jealousy that fluttered in his chest and nodded nonchalantly.

"Alright, then. It's not too far from here," Jongdae said.

"Why'd you want to know?" Baekhyun nodded at him, and he shrugged.

"Just curious, to be honest. It's very windy there, so i can see how she'd get sick."

"Ah, we should prepare her a basket full of medicine and tea!" Jongin said as they all flocked towards the practice room.

"That sounds like a good idea," Minseok nodded.

"Yeah, like vitamins and medicinal herbs and such," Chanyeol near-shouted, excited.

"Erm, Jongdae, would you want to take it?" Kyungsoo asked, and Jongdae rolled his eyes.

"Why would I?" He pretended to not want to do it, but his heart was already accelerating.

"Ah, I'd do it myself, but Jongin and I have to go to a casting. Baek I think has to practice his solo, and so does Yixing. Minseok said he was busy later, and Junmyeon has things to go over with the manager. Chanyeol and Sehun said they were going to go over the raps for the new album, so who's left is you." Jongdae exhaled, making a big deal out of it.

"Fine," he finally shrugged. "I could find time." He glanced at Baekhyun, who was still narrowing his eyes at him, but Yixing distracted him by talking to him about their solos.

 _Perfect_ , Jongdae thought, and he smirked at Minseok, who raised his brows and scoffed, a knowing smile playing at his lips. Jongdae smiled back mischievously. _Now my plan is in motion._


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

_Jongdae_

  
He stood outside the apartment door labeled 408 and dusted off his shoulder. Jongdae couldn't believe she lived in such a cheap place, and he felt bad that he had to visit her to find out. He raised his hand to knock, but something stopped him. Inside, he could hear soft sobbing, the kind that you try to hold in but fail to.

"Ah," he heard Mikyong's voice inside, and a sniffle. "Oppa, how could you do this to me?"

Was someone hurting her? A million thoughts ran through his head and before he knew it, he was calling out her name.

"Mikyong?" He knocked three times, loud, the door shaking under his fist. He flexed his arm muscles in anger, clenching his jaw and anticipating a fight.

A small girl opened the door, her turquoise blue eyes wide and rimmed red.

"J-Jongdae?" Mikyong blinked at him, mouth hanging open. She sniffled and wiped away a stray tear. He pushed the door open and stormed inside, barely acknowledging her.

What he saw confused the hell out of him.

She was alone in the room. There was nothing else except a cheap couch and table, and on it a laptop computer. He resisted the urge to look through the bathroom and bedroom to find anyone, because he knew that there wasn't anybody else there.

He turned to Mikyong, and finally took in the sight of her. She was wearing a My Neighbor Totoro onesie, her long brown hair swept up in a messy bun, her bangs held back by a polkadot towel bow. She was wearing fluffy purple socks and had a handkerchief in her hand. Jongdae softly settled down the gift basket on the table.

"Um..." He started. Smooth, Jongdae. "Why are you crying?" She blinked at him again, then raised her brows in realization.

"Ah..." She pointed at the laptop computer, and when he glanced at the screen, he wanted to both laugh and cry in frustration and embarrassment. A drama. She was watching a drama. "The, um... the protagonist died," she said, still blinking at him.

"Oh." He nodded. "Right."

"What's this?" She asked, and walked over to the gift basket.

"For you," he blurted out.

"Me?" Her eyes widened. Chen cleared his throat.

"I mean, uh, the members wanted to get you something since you were sick, and I was the only one free, so..."

Word vomit. This was word vomit.

"Oh," she nodded. "I see. Well, tell the members thank you from me." She bowed at him, which made him blush. Awkward silence followed. She cleared her throat. "I guess I'll open it?" He shrugged.

"If you want." Why was he acting like this?! He wanted to run into a wall.

"Um, alright," she smiled at him and smoothed down her onesie, then knelt on the floor in front of the coffee table. Instead of ripping the plastic open, she carefully unwrapped the gift basket, which Jongdae found both cute and funny.

"Wah!" She exclaimed, fishing out two instant ramen bowls. "I've really been craving these! And vitamins, too? Aigoo, this is great. Oh my goodness, a Squirtle plushie! It's my favorite Pokémon!"

"Really? It's one of mine, too," he smiled at her. She beamed at him.

"I love Pokémon. When I was alone growing up, I'd always play Pokémon Green and Pokémon Yellow when my parents weren't around. They were really my favorite games."

"Aish, I played them too, but I could never beat the bosses. I had to cheat my way through."

"I loved battling gym leaders. Then again, my team was pretty awesome, so I always beat them." She stuck her tongue out, and he laughed. "No, but really, I always fantasized about being a gym leader and crushing everyone." He shook his head, smiling.

"So, you're a geek, huh?"

"Am not!"

He gestured towards her onesie.

"Okay," she pouted, "maybe I am. But what's so wrong with that?" She blushed and shook her head, blinking fast. Jongdae furrowed his brow at her.

"Mikyong?" Suddenly, her face got pale, an eerie sight with her colorful eyes and dark hair. Before she could fall, Jongdae ran to her and caught her by her arms. "Mikyong!" Jongdae half yelled. She blinked her eyes up at him and color returned to her face.

Green against brown.

Skin meeting skin.

Deer in the headlights.

She squealed and suddenly jumped from his arms and ran to the bathroom, leaving him empty and cold. He realized something that shook his world and made his stomach ache. He thought, _The person who made up the 'butterflies in the stomach' saying obviously never liked anyone_. _They're more like killer bees._

He didn't know his arms would always feel cold without her in them.

 


	9. CHAPTER NINE

_Mikyong_

What just happened?

She leaned against the door, holding her nose closed as the fierce blush passed. She hoped it was because she was blushing. She hoped it wasn't anything else.

She tucked the thought away in the back of her brain.

" _Jesus_ ," she whispered in English as she frantically wiped the pool of blood that dripped from her nose onto the sink, painting it crimson. She hated the smell of blood. Rust and death is what its odor reminded her of. She had smelled it a great deal in her past, and she didn't appreciate its sharp scent.

Her eyes met her reflection in the mirror, and she saw how her face was flushed red. Her position was suddenly clear to her. Jongdae was in her _apartment_. She was _alone_ with _Kim Jongdae_ in her apartment. In _Seoul_. She was _alone_ with _Kim Jongdae_ in _her apartment_ in S _eoul, South Korea_. Mikyong gave herself hard pats on her face to wake her up from her daydream.

 _Snap out of it_ , she thought to herself.

But she couldn't, and you knew she couldn't. She loved Kim Jongdae too much, far too much, from much too far away. It had been years since she first had started loving him, and what he had done for her in Chicago hadn't exactly calmed her weakened heart. The way he had carefully bandaged her arms, how ridiculous he had acted around the other members, how he had paid for her food, his hands brushing against hers when she passed him his rice bowl...

She took a deep breath. Of course, she also knew that her love would never be reciprocated. It would never be returned. He was EXO's Kim Jongdae, and she was simply Chicago's Isabela. Seoul's Mikyong. She was simply a tutor, and she knew that she, to him, would never be more than a curious fan whom he met in America and who later curiously appeared out of nowhere in Seoul to teach them English. She would never be a person, just a curiosity.

She bit her lip and smoothed down her brown hair, then came out of her bathroom.

Jongdae stood from the couch like a spring went off in his butt. Mikyong held in her laughter, her worries momentarily forgotten.

"Are you okay?" Jongdae asked her, his face twisted in worry. Her stomach tightened seeing him care about her, but she reminded herself it was a friendly worry. Casual. Not deep.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Fine. You heading back now?" He blinked.

"Um, I really have nothing else to do." The words hit her like a stab in the heart. She scoffed quietly.

"Well... You're welcome to stay. Just cook yourself some of the ramen you brought me, because I'm going to finish my drama."

"Oh." He shrugged. "Alright. Got some sake?" She nodded.

"Top cupboard in the kitchen. Get me a glass, too."


End file.
